30 travelers at this place:

First full day in Washington today so decided to go out and check the landmarks out. DC is bigger than what I thought... started off at the Whitehouse, completely underwhelming, couldn’t get anywhere near it really and it’s not even That big. Then I moved onto the Washington monument but that was closed for repairs. Ended up by the WW2 memorial which was actually pretty good, then I walked down to the Lincoln memorial which as memorials go is pretty fucking good. A lot bigger than what I expected even though it looked big in planet of the apes and team America. Also managed to see the Vietnam war memorial, the Korean War memorial, Martin Luther King JR memorial, Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, DC War Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, The Pentagon (couldn’t get that close to it though unfortunately - TEAM SNOWDEN) Arlington Cemetery, JF Kennedy gravesite, The Tomb of the forgotten soldier and then my favourite... the US Marine Corps memorial. It was a looooong day and many many miles where walked. But it was a great day that I really enjoyed, I think it helped that it was relatively quiet as people where still celebrating thanksgiving. Picked up a McDonald’s on the way back cause that’s a local thing to do...Read more

Thanks to my taste for crime fiction, I had imagined Washington to be a city full of crack addicts on every corner, rampant crime, and sad homelessness. I am so pleasantly surprised! Well, maybe it is, but definitely not in the tourist hot-spots, and also no signs of it in Arlington, where we are staying. It's all clean, wide streets, organic markets, and fresh air. The Metro is the cleanest and easiest of all we have traveled. No one has asked us for cash and it feels okay to sit on the subway seats and there are no unpleasant city smells.

Today we walked from the Capitol down the long National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. We caught a few glimpses of the White House on the way back to the Metro. But 20,000 steps on we were too tired to tourist further. Good thing we have a week here. Sooooo much to do!

MONDAY:
Washington is great (apart from our president, who is a national disgrace). There’s so much to see, do, and learn. Nonetheless, we are never at risk of taxing ourselves. Caught up with my cousin, Matt, & his lovely family on Saturday. Very nice to see him after something like 20 years (& I hope I didn’t refer to him as Tony too often- the Lewis boys definitely look alike!) Another highlight was catching up with Michael & Tonya, fellow debate-team/ speech & drama nerds and v close friends from high school. They have gone on to live spectacular lives and I had no idea how much I missed them. Could have spent all day chatting.

We have toured the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, visited the White House, and played at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. And we haven’t even made a dent!!Read more

This morning we were collected by Brian from Bi-Partisan Tour Company, to start our tour of Washington. Although we had visited a number of places the day before, we were happy to return to them. Brian runs an excellent tour. He is passionate about Washington and history, and he tells a great story. We started off at the 2nd World War Memorial, followed by the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. We then briefly passed by Arlington Cemetery, which is located across the Potomac River, the Airforce Memorial, and the Pentagon, which is huge. Around 15,000 staff work there, and about 4,000 contractors - the busiest Starbucks is located at the Pentagon!

We then crossed back over the Potomac and went to the Jefferson Memorial, which is surrounded by cherry blossom trees and sits on the shore of the Tidal Basin (so it was very chilly and windy). During the construction of the Jefferson Memorial, a number of ladies chained themselves to the cherry trees in protest of them needing to be chopped down for the Memorial. To deal with this, President Roosevelt ordered his staff to prepare tea, coffee and cake for the protestors and, within a couple of hours, the ladies needed to be excused, so that was the end of the protest and construction proceeded. Next we went to the Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jnr Memorial, and we were able to walk between them along the Tidal Basin. Once again we have had great weather - blue sky and sunshine - although a bit nippy!

After a lunch break we visited the front of the White House, then onto the Einstein Memorial, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial - which is a wall that is cut into the earth and slopes down into the ground. All 58,272 war casualties are listed on the wall in the order they died. There was a competition for the design of this Memorial, and it was won by a recent graduate - all 9 judges agreed on the design from 1,500 entries. It is both a somber and powerful Memorial. We then headed back down the National Mall towards the US Capital Building on the Hill. The view down the Mall to the Washington Monument through to the Lincoln Memorial is quite breathtaking. We also saw the Grant Memorial and the Peace Monument. Brian then drove us through Chinatown and dropped us at the International Spy Museum.

The International Spy Museum was very interesting and a bit of fun. On entering you are asked to pick an alias that you must memorise the details of and be tested on. I was Gary Wozniak, 25 years, Canadian Citizen, born in Waipau NZ, a teacher who was in Singapore for 90 days for work.

There were lots of the tools of the spy trade on display, and biographies on some of the most notorious spies through the ages up to current times. There was also a special exhibit - "Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villians" which was very entertaining.

We then headed back to the hotel and stopped in at "The Hamilton" for dinner. Once again, we had a big day, walking over 13,000 steps.Read more

My day started a bit differently than it did for the rest of the family. While they were enjoying breakfast, I was visiting the dentist. Last night a crown came loose and I'm having it glued back in place. Fortunately, there is a dentist just around the corner from the hotel and it was a quick procedure. Unfortunately, it cost $US190. I'm hopeful that my investment in extra travel insurance will pay off with a reimbursement after we get home.

Our plan for today is to explore the National Mall area on foot to see the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Reflection Pool ... The Washington Monument. So, we all head out from the hotel for the Metro shortly after 10:30. It's another hot, humid day but we don't let that spoil our plans. We walk for a couple of hours and enjoy the sites. We then take a well-deserved break for lunch. We find a great, healthy option called Chopt not far from the White House.

Our last destination for the day is the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. On the way we come across a Folk Fair with music, food and crafts. We decide to check out a tent containing very impressive art and craft items from a variety of places including Cuba, Africa and Mexico.

We arrive at the Smithsonian and decide to start our visit at the Human Origins display. A fascinating collection and display of our evolution from ape to homosapien. Next we take a look at the Mammals display and the dinosaurs. We finish with a visit to the Insect Zoo and a look at the Hope Diamond. There is much more to see, but that will have to wait for another time.

The rest of the day is spent relaxing at our hotel, taking in Happy Hours, hanging out in our room and doing laundry!Read more

Today we continue our touring of the Capital. We have a tour of the Capital Building pre-booked for 11:40. On arrival we encounter the inevitable security check.

I am told that I can’t bring in fruit. I have three beautiful green apples in my daypack. I can’t bear the thought of throwing them into the trash can so I put them on a ledge, hoping a poor homeless type might come along and appreciate my offering.

Unfortunately, a stern faced security officer with the build of a jungle gorilla, isn’t so thoughtful and repeats his demand that I throw them into the trash!

Once inside the building we need to go through an airport type screening. My backpack gets red flagged. After searching frantically through the 14 pockets I have in my backpack, they find my weapon of destruction - a small, but very dangerous pocket knife. They don’t want it. They insist that I go back outside and throw it in the trash can along with my apples. Apparently, they don’t allow knitting needles either!

By now we are ten minutes late for our guided tour. Luckily, they sympathize and allow us to join the 11:50 tour. We start with a very informative video on the history of the USA and how the current system of government came to be. We then go through the beautiful interior of the building. Our guide is very knowledgeable and we learn some more historical facts. I’m impressed with our guide’s knowledge. But I suppose I’d know a lot too if I did this numerous times a day time for years.

After the formal tour ends we continue on our own to the Library of Congress. It too is a spectacular building. And contains millions of books and documents, many rare, many dating back to the 1800’s.

It’s now time to go for lunch. We find a nice little, organic restaurant serving prepared sandwiches and wraps. It is just a short walk away which takes us through a beautiful, historic neighbourhood with heritage houses dating back to the late 1800’s.

From here we decide to head back on the Metro to Arlington, where our hotel is located, to check out the Arlington Memorial Ceremony where JFK and 100’s of thousands of servicemen and their families are buried. It’s extremely hot but we make the pilgrimage to JFK’s gravesite.

Back at the hotel, some of us go for a swim or workout and then enjoy the 5:30 - 7:30 Happy Hours. Around 8:00 we walk to Longbridge Park to take in the July 4th fireworks. They were spectacular, however, we were a bit too far away to get the full effect.

Our day ends with a stop at Whole Foods near the hotel for cold and healthy beverages.Read more

Today we started with our Embassy Suite all you can eat gourmet breakfast spread. Absolutely love the custom omelette offering. Soon after we walked a short distance to catch the Metro train to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. A bit crowded at the start, but a very interesting (albeit, at times, very disturbing) account and display of the events leading up to the holocaust and the atrocities that occurred during that time.

When we left the museum, although it was still at least 90 degrees outside, it was also raining! Didn't last long though. We walked to a nearby mall where we found a food fair and had our lunch. The Columbia vs England group of 16 game was on and we were able to watch it for a short time. Until a fire alarm went off and we were all evacuated. We headed back to the hotel and arrived just in time to watch the penalty shootout at the end of the game.

At 5:30 we went down to the hotel lobby to enjoy the free drinks and snacks which are offered daily at Embassy Hotels every day between 5:30 and 7:30. To end the day we walked to Fashion City where the kids and Laura shopped for an hour or so.Read more